GRKM 202 Elementary Modern Greek II (same as GRK 252)
This course will advance students' knowledge of Modern Greek morphology and syntax. In addition to listening comprehension and reading skills, the course will emphasize writing and conversational abilities.
LING/PS 199: MODERN GREEK CULTURE, POLITICS AND HISTORY
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to modern Greek culture, politics and history in the context of Europe and the Balkans. It is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in the study of language, political science, history, culture and identity. Over the course of the semester we will read and discuss a variety of texts, including novels, political science and historical research. The texts will highlight different events in the history of modern Greece and Cyprus and examine the effect of these events on modern Greek identity and culture. We will also use film and music. The course will treat modern Greece as a case study that illustrates more general developments and trends in the Balkans and Europe. Knowledge of Modern Greek is not required. All the readings are in English. The class will rely heavily on discussion.
Newsworthy:
The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and the Committee for Modern Greek Studies are proud to announce the creation
of a new program in Modern Greek Studies. The mission of the
program is to foster the study of Greek language, history and
culture and to explore past and current perspectives on Hellenism.
In creating this new program, our University is joining a growing trend among leading institutions of higher learning in North America, offering programs in Modern Greek Studies dedicated to the study of the language, literature, culture, and history of modern Greece. We are also continuing an educational tradition started by the Greek-American community in Chicago, one of the largest in the US and historically the first to take an active interest in Greek-speaking education, whose geographical proximity to our campus is an important asset in our efforts.
The program in Modern Greek Studies at the University of Illinois represents a collaborative achievement among several units across campus, which are supporting it with their knowledge and expertise. The School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, the Department of Linguistics, the Department of the Classics, the European Union Center, the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, the Russian, East European and Eurasian Center, the Program in Comparative and World Literature, the program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education, the Center for Translation Studies and Dalkey Archive Press are among the units on whose strengths the new program will be building.
The first component of the new program will be introduced in Fall 2009 in the form of Modern Greek language classes at elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. In addition, the program will foster research on modern Greece in areas such as national and regional identity construction, immigrant communities, minorities, and multiculturalism. In the longer term, and contingent upon the level of support generated, the program aims to lay the foundation for the establishment of an Endowed Chair in Modern Greek Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
A Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) fellowship is available from the European Union Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for students wishing to study Modern Greek. Incoming and current graduate students are eligible. U.S. nationality or permanent residence is required. Application deadline is in February of every year. For more information, please see: http://www.flas.illinois.edu/ and/or contact Prof. Marina Terkourafi (mt217 at illinois.edu) at the Department of Linguistics or Ms. Laura Hastings at the European Union Center (lhasting at illinois.edu) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Houston and Papadimitriou Greek Culture Award
Established in 2009, the Houston and Papadimitriou Greek Culture Award will be awarded to undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who have a demonstrated interest in and who are taking elective courses to learn about Greek culture, language or history.
The Opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens: Footage from the official broadcast of the inaugural tour by the Director of the Museum for Greek and European officials in June 2009.
One Day Workshop: TEACHING GREEK AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, Wednesday, October 28, 1-6 pm
Ongoing Conversation Table LOGOS: practice conversational Greek with native speakers every second Wednesday at Espresso Royal on Goodwin at 6pm. For more information please contact Nikos Vergis at vergis1@illinois.edu
Fall 2009
September 9, 6pm, Krannert Art Auditorium
‘The Cyprus Problem: the Destruction of Cypriot Cultural Heritage‘ by Prof. Van Coufoudakis, Rector Emeritus, University of Cyprus
September 10, 6pm, Everitt Lab 269
‘The Cyprus Problem: the EU and the European Convention of Human Rights‘ by Prof. Van Coufoudakis, Rector Emeritus, University of Cyprus
October 27, 6pm, Foreign Language Building 1080
‘Sabiha’: a film on minority languages in Greece; discussion with the film director Dr Evangelia Adamou (Paris, CNRS)
October 28, 1-6pm, Foreign Language Building 1080
‘Teaching Greek as a Second Language’: workshop with guest presentations by six internationally acclaimed scholars from Europe and North America
Date TBC
‘The opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens’: documentary film, Foreign Language Building 1080
Spring 2010
Date TBC
European Union Center movie-night: ‘Ulysses Gaze’(Greece, 1995): an exiled Greek-American filmmaker (Harvey Keitel) returns, after thirty-five years, to the Balkans in search of three lost reels of footage from the earliest known extant Greek film, made in 1905. Film received the Jury’s Grand Prix & International Federation of Journalists’ award at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.
April 23
Hellenic Studies Symposium on the theme of Immigration, Refugees and Resettlement
Roundtable Discussion: "Greece in the 21st Century: Trends and Challenges." April 24, 5:00pm. Illini Center Chicago. Panelists: Vassilis Lambropoulos, Mary Kalantzis, Robert Pahre, Nanno Marinatos, Frank Hess, Marina Terkourafi (moderator).
Download: mp3 file
Photos from Greece in the 21st Century:
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| Greece in the 21st Century: Trends and Challenges |
Modern Greek in the news: http://news.illinois.edu/news/09/0414greek.html
Lecture: "Greek American Accents." April 22 2008 at 7:00pm. Levis Faculty Center. Vassilis Lambropoulos (C.P. Cavafy Professor of Modern Greek and Comparative Literature, University of Michigan).
Greek American accents: In our society we no longer consider accents a negative mark, and many people may not be interested in losing theirs. We have come to see accents as performative elements that enrich the orchestra of human communication by adding inexhaustible varieties of timbre and rhythm. From the early twentieth century (when the famous singers Rita Abatzi and Rosa Eskenazi sang in Greek, Turkish, Ladino, Arabic, Arvanitika and more) to the present, Greeks perform in many languages and develop many accents. Given the centrality of language and music for Greek culture everywhere, it is important to cultivate a syncretic view that acknowledges their constitutive heterogeneity.
European Union Center Movie Night: "Eduart." Feb. 18 2009 at 7:00pm. 160 English Building. European Union Center.
Program Launch: “The Journey: The Greek American Dream.” Sept. 26 2008 at4:30 p.m. Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum. Maria Iliou, director, and Alexander Kitroeff, historian and leading authority on the Greek Diaspora, will offer introductory remarks. Inaugural celebration of the UI Modern Greek Studies Program. Provost Linda Katehi and the Committee for Modern Greek Studies.
Lecture: “Greek Today in Northeast Turkey: The Language and People That Time Forgot.” Pietro Bortone, UIC. Sept. 19 2008 at noon. 160 English Building. European Union Center.
Lecture: “The Semantic Development of Greek Prepositions: A Case for Historical Linguistics.” Pietro Bortone, UIC. Sept. 18 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Lucy Ellis Lounge, Foreign Languages Building. Linguistics.
September 24, 2008 interview with Alexander Kitroeff, Associate Professor in History at Haverford College by Tom Rogers of WILL AM 580 [ Click to Listen/Download ] [Photographs from the event]
15-day Intensive Modern Greek Course by the Intensive Foreign Language Instruction Program (IFLIP) :
Greek, Elementary (May 18 - June 5, 5:00-7:00pm)
GREEK AMERICAN ACCENTS
April 22,
7:00pm
Levis Faculty Center
GREECE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: TRENDS & CHALLENGES
April 24,
5:00pm
Illini Center Chicago
INFORMATION
Modern Greek Brochure
Modern Greek Classes
Chicago
PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation
Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center
Hellenic Professional Society of Illinois
North America
Modern Greek Studies Association
Urbana-Champaign
Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church
The Journey Radio Show - WEFT 90.1 FM
Hellenic Students Association at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
If you have any questions about Modern Greek Studies at Illinois please contact the faculty co-ordinators, Professors and/or .
For website suggestions please contact